In conventional angioplasty pressure sensing and monitoring systems, a catheter from the heart or other location is connected to a tubular manifold and frame assembly, which is provided with one or more valve ports. Flexible plastic tubing extends from the manifold ports of the assembly (which is typically attached to the patient's arm, chest, etc.) to one or more pressure sensor and monitoring devices. Each pressure sensor includes a transducer dome and transducer, typically mounted on a vertical post located about six feet away from the patient. In this arrangement, blood passing into and/or through the manifold may be periodically diverted via conventional petcock type valves through a pressure monitoring tube connected between one of the manifold ports and post-mounted pressure sensor.
The prior art pressure sensors have multiple wires leading from the pressure sensors to a blood pressure recorder or other equipment. The use of wiring for electrically connecting the pressure sensors to a blood pressure recorder has proved less than optimal. When a patient is not present, the wires may become unplugged, causing the burden of having to plug the wires back into the correct ports on the pressure sensors. When a patient is present, the wires add to clutter in the patient area, which generally has other instrumentation connected to the patient.
During an angioplasty or angiographic procedure, a catheter is inserted into a blood vessel of a patient and is used to relieve a constriction due to plaque buildup (an angioplasty procedure) or obtain a visual indication of the condition of the vessel walls (an angiographic procedure). A constriction of the blood vessel or stenosis can occur due to a buildup of plaque within a blood vessel and can be treated in several ways, including drug treatments, thermal treatments, compression treatments utilizing inflatable or expandable devices, etc. all provided to eliminate or reduce the size of the constriction due to plaque buildup. In these procedures it is also desirable or, in many instances necessary, to monitor blood flow and/or pressure during the procedure.
From the above, it is apparent that a definite need in the art exists to eliminate the wiring electrically connecting pressure sensors for pressure sensing related to angioplasty procedures, which are connected to a blood pressure recorder or other equipment.